Brave the Wild River

The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon

De: Melissa L. Sevigny

Narrado por: Elizabeth Wiley

In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off to run the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious and entrepreneurial expedition leader, a zoologist, and two amateur boatmen. With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. Journalists and veteran river runners boldly proclaimed that the motley crew would never make it out alive. But for Clover and Jotter, the expedition held a tantalizing appeal: no one had yet surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon, and they were determined to be the first.

Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny traces their daring forty-three-day journey down the river, during which they meticulously cataloged the thorny plants that thrived in the Grand Canyon's secret nooks and crannies. Along the way, they chased a runaway boat, ran the river's most fearsome rapids, and turned the harshest critic of female river runners into an ally. Clover and Jotter's plant list, including four new cactus species, would one day become vital for efforts to protect and restore the river ecosystem.

Brave the Wild River is a spellbinding adventure of two women who risked their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a defining landscape in the American West.

©2023 Melissa L. Sevigny (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Wonderful book!

It was so interesting to hear about the early exploration of the Colorado river from two amazingly adventurous women.

A look into the past

I've been down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, and this book helped me see how it must have been back in the day. As a Botanist-by-trade, I deeply feel what these women felt. Great story telling!

Great Adventure Story

This was a very interesting story- I’m a fan of reading or listening to any and all stories related to the Colorado River. My one complaint of the reader is that every time she was quoting Jotter, she changed her voice to sound more like a little giggly girl. I couldn’t understand why the reader felt compelled to do that and it took away from my complete enjoyment of the book.

Extensive research

This book has a trove of information about the history of exploration through the Grand Canyon. Not only the natural history but also the characters who took on the mighty Colorado River.

Excellent

Well told story. The story of taking a raft down the river was riveting. Educational and interesting story of women in the sciences going into the wild

Fascinating and brave journey is well told in this book.

Such an important and inspiring book for botany and women’s rights and conservation of the Grand Canyon and the southwest.

Unbelievably awful narrator

There’s enough material in this book for a fascinating article. There’s a lot of padding and the narrator is the worst, speaking very very slowly in a super-hammy amateur theatrical voice. A pity - the underlying story, when you can catch glimpses of it, is terrific.

Taking women seriously in science

I liked that the author used the scientific names for the plants. I loved the descriptions of life on the river. I have run the Grand Canyon and could picture where they were and the rapids they were running. This book accurately details the obstacles and harassment that women face yet how we have made progress with more changes needed. As a woman in science and one who love botany this book was a joy to read!

Good story with many historical facts

It was a wonderful historical fiction story. I was surprised how difficult it was for women in the early 1900's to obtain an education, be funded for their work and to not receive recognition for their work until much later in life. Both women were head strong and overcame many obstacles.

Fascinating Adventure

A bit tedious at times and repetitive in description - overall it's a good adventure story worth listening to.